AdWords vs. AdSense

AdWords vs. AdSense

When you begin marketing on the internet, you will constantly run across two words: AdWords and AdSense. Like a lot of people, you may not be completely clear about their meaning or how they can benefit you. Here are three things you should know about each term before you make that dive into the Google marketing space.

Google AdSense
AdSense lets your site work for you. With Google AdSense, your site becomes your moneymaker. AdSense is set up so that when a customer visits your site, he will see a targeted banner ad either on the top or side of the web page. When the customer clicks on that ad, you receive anywhere from 10 cents to $10, depending on the particular cost-per-click (CPC) rate. AdSense is best suited for a website that has a high quantity of daily visits. So, if you’re not at that point yet, AdSense may not be a viable revenue-generating option for you.
Target the ads. Banner ads placed on your site are related to, and targeted toward, the content on your site. For example, if your site is for a local pet store, then you may see ads for obedience training or local pet adoption locations. Targeting ads on your site ensures that your ads will receive the maximum amount of clicks possible.
Customize. As a business owner, you’ve probably spent a lot of time and money on the look and feel of your website. The last thing you want to do is place a banner ad that clashes with your site design. A great feature in AdSense is the ability to allow customization of the banners that will appear on your site. With features like font choice and more than 200 color options, you can customize the ads that are displayed on your site.

Google AdWords
You become the advertiser. With Google AdWords, you are in the advertiser’s seat. You create an ad to be placed on Google’s search network, which will appear when the person doing the search enters certain keywords. You are responsible for the copy in the ad, the keyword choice, and the landing page that the ad will direct them to. Google has some great tools that will help you create your ad and choose your keywords.

Spend. With AdWords, you are in complete control of your budget. You set the amount you want to pay on a daily basis and there is no minimum requirement for you to spend. You are able to control your daily budget, bids, and ad quality. Your daily budget should be set to an amount that you feel comfortable spending each day. You can edit your daily budget as often as you like. Bids are most commonly set up on a cost-per-click (CPC) basis. CPC determines the amount that you are willing to pay for each click on your ad when displayed by Google. The higher you bid on a keyword or phrase, the higher your position will be. Daily tracking on your keyword bids is crucial to the success of your campaign.

Use keywords. Keyword choice can either make or break the success of your campaign. Make sure you take the time to pick the right keywords or phrases to drive traffic to each campaign. In order to help you choose your keywords, you can use the AdWords keyword tool. Not only will it give you suggestions on keywords depending on the subject of your ad; it will also provide you with some other useful information like monthly search volume, estimated average CPC, and local search trends for each keyword it suggests. Your keyword or phrase could either be broad, like “dance studio,” or it could have a narrower focus, like “toddler ballet classes.” If your ad is broad in its message, choose broad keywords. For an ad that is very specific to a product or service, choose narrow keywords.